POLICY WIRE FACT CHECK: Investigating Claims Regarding Cuban Deportation Figures Under the Trump Administration
The Claim During an October 4, 2026, appearance on CBS News Miami’s Facing South Florida, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Angie Nixon asserted that President Donald Trump has deported “over 13,000...
The Claim
During an October 4, 2026, appearance on CBS News Miami’s Facing South Florida, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Angie Nixon asserted that President Donald Trump has deported “over 13,000 Cubans since he has been in office, his first term and his second term.” This statement, made while campaigning for the Florida Senate seat, has sparked significant public debate regarding the administration’s immigration enforcement strategies and their specific impact on the Cuban-American community.
The claim gained traction as a focal point of political discourse, particularly given the historical support for the Republican party among many Cuban-Americans. The assertion suggests a significant escalation in the removal of Cuban nationals, prompting a need for a rigorous examination of official government data versus independent human rights reporting.
The Details & Investigation
To evaluate the veracity of Nixon’s claim, our desk analyzed data from the Office of Homeland Security Statistics and independent reports from Human Rights Watch. Official government records confirm that approximately 3,400 Cubans were deported during President Trump’s first term. However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has not publicly released specific, granular data regarding the number of Cuban deportations during the current second term, creating an information vacuum that often leads to the spread of both misinformation and disinformation.
The figure cited by Nixon appears to be derived from data provided by Human Rights Watch, which tracks deportations through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and independent monitoring. As of August 5, 2026, Human Rights Watch estimated that approximately 8,500 Cubans had been deported during the second term alone. When combined with the first-term figures, the total approaches the 12,000 mark, with the potential for the number to have increased in the months following the report. This discrepancy between official government silence and independent data highlights the complexity of tracking modern deportation operations, which now frequently involve “third-country” agreements where individuals are sent to nations other than their country of origin.
We categorize the potential for misinformation here as high due to the lack of transparent, centralized government reporting, which forces the public to rely on estimates. While Nixon’s figure is not a fabrication, it is an approximation based on non-governmental data. There is no evidence of a coordinated disinformation campaign to deceive the public; rather, the claim represents a political candidate utilizing available, albeit estimated, data to highlight a shift in administrative policy. The administration’s move to end parole programs and increase the pace of removals for individuals with long-standing residency has fundamentally altered the landscape of Cuban immigration enforcement.
Experts, including those from the University of Miami and George Mason University, note that the current administration is utilizing legal mechanisms to deport individuals who have been in the U.S. for decades, often to countries like Mexico, Liberia, or Guyana. This shift in strategy explains the surge in numbers compared to previous administrations, confirming that while the specific count of 13,000 is an estimate, the underlying trend of increased deportations is factually supported by current immigration enforcement patterns.
The Verdict
We rate the claim as MOSTLY TRUE. While the exact figure of 13,000 is an estimate based on independent human rights monitoring rather than official DHS confirmation, it aligns closely with the best available data regarding the cumulative impact of deportation policies across both of President Trump’s terms. The claim requires the context that these numbers include third-country removals and represent a significant departure from historical norms regarding Cuban immigration.
The statement is not a result of malicious disinformation, but rather a reliance on credible, independent data in the absence of comprehensive government transparency. The core assertion—that there has been a substantial and aggressive increase in the deportation of Cubans—is supported by the available evidence.
Counter-misinformation & disinformation investigation conducted by PolicyWire Editorial Desk (PW).
